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Photo of the Week: A Better Banana in Kenya

February 01, 2013

Rosemary Muthomi sorts through bananas with an employee at her business, Meru Greens Horticulture.

Rosemary Muthomi (left) sorts through bananas with an employee at her business, Meru Greens Horticulture. Rosemary and her husband, Gerald, started Meru Greens in their central Kenyan community to give smallholder farmers an opportunity to sell their produce for a better price.

Beginning in 2004, TechnoServe helped Meru Greens identify a promising market opportunity for high-quality bananas. Our advisors showed the company’s workers and suppliers techniques for producing bananas more efficiently and profitably. Meru Greens has thrived, more than doubling its purchases from smallholder farmers and growing its sales fivefold. Today, the company employs nearly 160 people and buys products from 4,300 farmers.